Local Agency Plan (LAP) for 2010: Enhancements to the online LAP application have been completed and will be included in the FFY2010 LAP Training. Since the training this year is optional, a list of enhancements to make the LAP more user-friendly is included in the attached document for those who will not attend training. ASAP instructions for access to the online LAP are also attached. LAP Data will be updated and the online LAP will be ready for entry on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. If you have any questions about the ASAP instructions, LAP Training or the LAP Enhancements, you may contact Betty Cassidy at 800-392-8209 or by email Betty.Cassidy@health.mo.gov.

Breastfeeding Conference-September 2009: Pettis County WIC and State Fair Community College are hosting a breastfeeding conference on Thursday, September 17, 2009 titled, Working Together to Promote Breastfeeding Success, A Day with Dr. Mom®. Marianne Neifert, M.D., M.T.S., nationally known as Dr. Mom®, will be the guest speaker for the daytime session. This free one-day conference will be held at the State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri. Topics include: The Successful Initiation of Breastfeeding, Extending the Duration of Breastfeeding, and Troubleshooting Breastfeeding Problems. The evening session is limited to physician and hospital staff only. To attend the daytime session, please fax the attached registration form to Mary Lou Shane at 660-827-1141. For more information contact Kathy Mertzlufft at 573-526-4792 or by email at Kathy.Mertzlufft@health.mo.gov.

2010 Outreach Funding–How to Apply: Funds will be available to develop and implement Outreach Projects for 2010.

What has changed? Changes for this year include sending an email to your District TA Team to request the funding available to your agency. When you email your request to the TA Team, your allocation will be loaded into the LAP, allowing your detail budget to be entered. Goals, funding amounts and suggestions have remained the same as last year.

Who can apply? Current WIC agencies

How much funding is available? $495,000 is allocated for agencies according to the size of the agency WIC program. Amounts can be found in the guidance.

Deadline? Each agency must request the funding by an email to their TA Team by August 1, 2009. Amounts will be loaded for each agency requesting funding. The agency will be required to enter a budget for approval on the LAP.

Questions? Contact your District TA Team

Educational Opportunity: The American Dietetic Association and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services' Nutrition Training Institute (NTI) will present the teleseminar, Understanding and Recommending Probiotics and Prebiotics, on Thursday, August 27, 2009 in Jefferson City. This teleseminar will help you to recognize which products meet specific scientific criteria and to make appropriate recommendations concerning Probiotics and Prebiotics. Please see the attached site registration form for details or contact Michelle Nienhuis at Michelle.Nienhuis@health.mo.gov with questions.

SAVE THE DATE-Nutrition Educational Opportunity: WIC Registered Dietitians, Nutritionists, Registered Nurses, Certified Nurse Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, Physicians, and other Public Health Professionals who serve preconceptual, pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women will want to take advantage of this two-day National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course, shown by video stream on September 9 - 10, 2009 in Jefferson City. This year's continuing education program focuses on the improvement of maternal and infant health through the delivery of risk-appropriate high-quality nutrition services. This training is presented by the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of WIC and Nutrition Services, Nutrition Training Institute; and sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration at the U.S. Department of Health and the Human Services and Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. More information will be available at a later date. If you have any questions, please contact your district nutritionist.

Update: Blood Work - Hemoglobin for Infants and Children: The state WIC office has received concerns from local WIC providers (LWPs) about the frequency of bringing infant/child participants into the clinic for blood work. In order to meet Federal Regulation guidelines, the LWP shall continue to have blood work collected for all infants between 9 and 11 months of age.The hemoglobin may be skipped at the 12 month (1 yr.) recertification of the child. (In order to accomplish this, a new exception reason has been created.) The LWP will then collect blood for a hemoglobin test at 18 months when the child comes in for recertification. Example:

an infant comes in at 9 months of age, blood work is taken and result entered in MOWINS;

that child comes in at 12 months (1 yr.) of age, blood work is not taken, reason blood work was not collected "skip until 15-18 months of age" is selected;

the child returns at 18 months of age for recertification, blood work is taken and result entered into MOWINS.

Effective August 1, 2009, when the child comes in for recertification at 12 months (1 yr.), within the Add Blood Measurement Screen the LWP will select "Skip until 15-18 months of age" as the "Reason blood work was not collected". Do not make the selection "delayed blood work" for the child at this time. ("Delayed blood work" and "Reason Blood Work was not collected" should never be selected at the same time for any participant.) Please contact the district nutritionist assigned to your county if you have further questions.

Updated WIC Supply Request Form (WIC 8): The WIC Supply Request Form (WIC 8) has been updated. Please begin using the updated WIC 8 form effective July 20, 2009. If you have any questions, please contact Takako Tagami at Takako.Tagami@health.mo.gov.

Shipping Plan - New WIC Food Resource Items: The State office has been developing various kinds of new resource materials for the WIC New Food Package Implementation which has been scheduled for October 1, 2009. The items below will be shipped to all local WIC providers early September 2009:

Please check the WIC Weekly Updates for shipping dates for the WIC new food and food package posters. In the meantime, please feel free to download items from the WIC website. These items will be translated into 11 languages. The State office will notify local WIC providers when a shipping date is determined. If you have any questions, please contact Takako Tagami at Takako.Tagami@health.mo.gov.

FY 2010 Local Agency Nutrition Services Contract Scope of Work: Now that the online Local Agency Plan is available, you can enter your fiscal year (FY) 2010 local WIC provider plan. Knowing what changes the contract will include is an important part of that planning process. Attached is the draft version of the FY 2010 Local Agency Nutrition Services Contract Scope of Work for local WIC providers. In some instances wording was revised for clarity or changes resulting from the implementation of MOWINS. A few sections are new this year. Significant changes from the previous fiscal year are highlighted in yellow. The per-participant rate has increased from $10.00 to $10.30 for the 2010 contract year. Please contact your district technical assistance staff with any questions about the scope of work.

HANDS Check Inventory: Please audit your COMPUTER and MANUAL check stock and send to Peggy.Maupin@health.mo.gov an e-mail listing the beginning and ending check numbers of each box of COMPUTER and MANUAL checks remaining in your inventory. After she receives the listings and compares the reported inventory to her inventory records she will send an e-mail stating that the remaining stock of HANDS and MANUAL checks can be destroyed (shredded/burned).